Single vs. Double Spacing

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Rhyela
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Single vs. Double Spacing

Unread post by Rhyela »

The subject is pretty self-explanatory. I noticed here on Petopia that my posts have automatically been changed to a single space after a period. I remembered a co-worker telling me, quite incredulously, that schools and other places are trying to push for single spacing. This seems really odd to me, since I've used double spacing my entire typing life. It was taught to us this way in every level of education. I did some research, and it seems that double spacing came to be because of a typewriter's limitations. Each letter was given the same amount of space, regardless of whether it was a thin letter or a wider one, so people began inserting a double space (or sometimes triple) after sentences. With today's technology (computers) and better fonts, there is (supposedly) no longer a need for the double space. I get that, but I've been doing it this way for so long now that a single space just looks plain weird. I find it harder to recognize breaks between sentences when only one space is used. On the other hand, I don't want to be stubborn and opposed to change if I really am doing it "wrong".

So, out of curiosity, what do you guys prefer? Or, since I've been out of school for so long now, I'm curious as to what is being taught these days?

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Vephriel
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Re: Single vs. Double Spacing

Unread post by Vephriel »

Huh, I had actually never even heard of double spacing after a period before, I've only ever known and grown up with single spacing. (though I haven't been in school for 10 years now so I'm not sure what it's like currently)
Last edited by Vephriel on Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Single vs. Double Spacing

Unread post by Jurz »

It honestly really depends on the Professor. Most of mine prefer double space because it's easier to write on the paper, put comments, make corrections and such since there's more room to do so.

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Re: Single vs. Double Spacing

Unread post by Azunara »

Wait, are we talking double spacing in an essay, or are you talking like double spacing after a period? Cause I do single space after a grammar mark (period, question mark, etc.) when appropriate, but if you're talking spacing of lines in an essay, then I always double space lines in an essay--mostly because it takes up more pages so it's easier to right that 3-5 page essay double spaced. ;)
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Re: Single vs. Double Spacing

Unread post by Wain »

I've never been fond of double-spacing :) Single for me. But BBCode tends to strip out extra spaces anyway, as it does extra line breaks, much like HTML.
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Re: Single vs. Double Spacing

Unread post by Sukurachi »

Be clear here: "double spacing" does not mean putting two spaces after a period. It means two spaces between lines of text.

Your incorrect use of the term "double spacing" is what is giving confused responses to your question.

"Two spaces after a period" is what you want, and the answer is it all depends on the style guide you're following.

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Rhyela
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Re: Single vs. Double Spacing

Unread post by Rhyela »

:lol: Sorry! Yes, I meant "two spaces after a period". I was reading articles and this one said "double spacing", so that stuck in my head I guess.

http://lifehacker.com/double-spacing-af ... 1656109447

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